It was a Friday afternoon in October. The woman, a 52-year-old resident of Flagler Beach, decided to head for a picnic table at the beach around North 5th Street on A1A in breathe in the salt air.

Soon after she got there, she noticed a man standing next to her, uncomfortably close. Then sitting next to her. The man would later be identified as Alexander L. Paler, a 35-year-old resident of Willow Drive in Palm Coast, heavyset with close-cropped black hair.

At first Paler had his back to the picnic table. As the victim recounted the incident to police, she said he started making verbal advances, though the victim did not know the man. He was telling her how much he liked her. She told him she was not interested in him “that way,” according to a police report. She also surmised that “he seemed to have some type of mental deficiency.”

Paler then turned to face the woman. He put a hand on each of her shoulders and began to hold her tightly. She tried to wriggle away. But he was very strong. She could not break his hold. She told Paler several times “no, don’t touch me like that,” “I feel uncomfortable” and “please don’t do that.” It did nothing to stop him.

His hands still on her shoulders, Paler allegedly leaned on top of the victim, pushed her backwards towards the picnic table, started to grope her, then kiss her face, mouth and neck. She kept telling him to stop. She told him he was hurting her neck. He stopped briefly, enabling her to sit back up and begin to stand up to leave. But Paler stood up, put his hands on top of her shoulders and allegedly pushed her back down.

The victim said he then put his hands on top of each of her thighs, firmly pushed down and held her in place in that way. According to the victim, Paler then e then grabbed at her crotch. She pushed her legs together and squeezed as hard as she could to stop him, all the while begging him to stop. Instead, he demanded that she spread her legs, according to his arrest report.

The victim kept refusing, and said that on about five occasions she physically struggled with Paler to get free of him and try to get up, but he would only pull her down and further restrain her. The victim told police that Paler also put his hand down the front of her shirt and fondled her breasts. She began to notice that his entire demeanor began to change. He was becoming more and more aggressive the more she tried to push him away. She was becoming equally more fearful.

The victim has an older brother who has limited mental capacity, she told police, so she began to try to communicate with Paler the way she does with her brother. She began to shift his attentions from his physical assault on her and to gain his trust by asking him questions about himself, telling him that they could be friends and maybe go to the gym together the following week.

She said she asked for his phone number and said she would call him. Loosening his hold, Paler then gave her his phone number and asked her to call him to make sure she had it in her phone correctly. She did so. She was then finally able to get up and walk away from Paler, with the understanding that she would call him and they could see each other the following week.

The victim said she saw the defendant get into a car parked numerous car lengths to the north of hers then drive north. She herself went straight to the Flagler Beach Police Department and reported the incident.

A Flagler Beach Police investigator was able to interview Paler. He initially denied having any contact with the victim. Then he said he’d talked to her but that she had been very excited to see him. He said they had had what he called “smoothie smoochie,” explaining that as French-kissing. kissing’. He said he’d tried to touch the victim’s crotch but failed.

When the investigator left the interview room, Paler’s arrest report states, Paler “turned to his mother and said that if he gets in trouble for this he is going to leave the area and not come back.” He had been living in Florida just four months.

The incident took place on Oct. 11. Paler was arrested on Friday (Oct. 25), and charged with false imprisonment, battery, and unnatural and lascivious acts. Paler posted $8,000 bond and was released.

Paler’s profile on meetup.com reads as follows: “Hello, My name is Alex. I have been diagnosed with Aspergers. I would like to meet people just like myself for friendship because it’s hard to meet other’s like me. I drive my own car and I live with family. I really enjoy being around others.” Paler is originally from Illinois, graduating Naperville Central High School in 1997.

Under “Anything else you would like to share,” Paler wrote: “I’m not to into computers so my brother takes care of my emailing and typing for me but I am always next to him when he types for me so don’t worry I’m not a phony. I’d really like to have a girlfriend someday and if I could afford it I may consider having children but I’m not sure. I’d really like to meet other people like me because it’s hard to make friends when you have Asperger’s. I’ve been told I’m a super nice guy and very gentle and humble. I would give the shirt off my back to a friend in need but because of this I have been taken advantage of sometimes. I just want others to understand me which is hard when you have Asperger’s. I’ve never been in any type of trouble other then speeding tickets:). I’m a hard worker. I think life will be better once I meet people who live on the same Aspergers planet that I do. I love to have conversations and be social. I just want to find others like me that can understand me. I’m sick and tired of being misunderstood. It’s lonely.”

Perhaps Mr Paler’s mother can help him find a Psychiatrist with some knowledge of Asperger’s (and other Autism spectrum disorders) so he can get the treatment he needs. Hopefully, he can also be directed towards a counselor and/or program for adults who can handle someone with his challenges. If he doesn’t get the supervision and intervention he needs now, he will also be dealing with a Sex Offenders label on top of everything else. Also, if he is abusing any substances, he will to remain abstinent to stay out of trouble, since alcohol/drugs lower the inhibition threshold. Thios should be a mandated part of any probation or conditional release he might receive as a result of this incident. Needless to say, my sympathy goes out to the victim in this case, for whom this must have been very traumatic.

So sad all the way around. Wish we did better as a society to help those that need it. Charging him isn’t going to change his situation. So glad this victim is ok and that she was experienced to handle this situation.It could have been much worse.